


Breathe In

by snowshus



Category: Marvel 616
Genre: AIM - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 16:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14719202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowshus/pseuds/snowshus
Summary: Steve and Tony have to protect a young woman without letting this thing between them get in the way.





	Breathe In

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Stony](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/382655) by R-Kun. 



> This was so much fun and R-Kun's work is so amazing go check it out!

The hotel ballroom had been lined with pale icy blue and iridescent white curtains. The crystal chandeliers bounced rainbows of the crystal champagne glasses and the jewelled necklaces of the guests. Tony had often found that charity balls in particular always seemed tastelessly expensive. It was as though they all had to remind themselves of how very rich they were before they were willing to give up even small fraction of it. Or maybe Tony was just projecting again, assuming the worst in people when the truth was simply that people like shiny things and dressing pretty. Tastelessly expensive or not ballroom was beautiful, shimmery and lit up as though by magic. Tony could appreciate it even if his taste had always leaned towards the useful, pretty was good, but pretty for pretty’s sake irritated him.

If anyone, particularly Jan, asked Tony was absolutely not avoiding Steve, nor had he been. He was busy, he was balancing his duties as Ironman and Tony and that was a lot to ask. He was just busy and that was why he managed to never be in the same place as Steve since the split. He would remind anyone, particularly Jan, that it was not break-up because you have to be dating to break-up. It was just an ending. 

The truth of course was that he was actively and carefully avoiding Steve. He hadn’t actually meant for it to last this long. He just wanted some time to curl up and lick his wounds before putting on the fake friend face in front of the man he would probably never get over. One week turned into two and then it had been a month and then two and now Tony was definitely avoiding Steve and would continue to do his best to avoid Steve tonight. He couldn’t avoid seeing him, and yeah Tony was in no way over this. He could talking, interacting and Steve seemed to be on the same page, at the very least he hadn’t made an indication that he even saw Tony, let alone was planning to march over here and demand they talk. Which was good. It was. Tony didn’t want to talk to him, so it’s good that Steve didn’t want to talk to him.

It was fine, tonight was for business. Tonight was for fake smiling and making small talk with all the old-so-and-so’s of New York. Tony has just finished what at this point was a mechanical process of asking about weather and family and business with Mr. Meachum when a young woman approaches him, she looks too young to be her representing herself, probably someone’s daughter. Her recognizes her dress as one of Jan’s designs. It is as always stunning work, perfect for a girl her age, youthful and light and still somehow elegant enough not to look out of place as a grown up event.

“Mr. Stark?” She asks holding out her hand. “I need your help.”

“Of course,” Tony put’s on he most pleasant smile as he takes her hand, “What can I do you for you?”

“I’m going to be kidnapped.” She says matter-a-factly. “I’ll be needing you to rescue me.”

“Me?” Tony asks, carefully confused. “I’m just a rich guy, surely you mean to be speaking to one of the heroes. Captain America is right over there.”  
“Yes, I know, we’ll need him too, but I’ll need you for when they try to reprogram me, you’re the only one here I can trust.”

“I’m sorry?” Tony blinks, genuinly confused.

The woman tilts her head and brushes her hair away and just behind her ear he can see the seams of her skin was seperated to create a panel. She drops her hair back down. 

Tony pulls her to the side away from the prying ears of gossipy high society.

“What are you?”

“My name is Avie, Avie Seville. I’m a robot. I thought that was obvious.”

Tony shakes his head, “I have so many questions.”

“I’ll answer them later?” Avie offers. “After the attempts on my personhood are over.”

“Right,” Tony nods, “Do you know whose after you?”

“AIM, I think.” Avie bites her lip, it’s such a perfect imitation of a real girl. “They were wearing yellow.”

“AIM.” Tony confirms, and stealing himself adds, “we should let Cap know what’s going on.”

He holds out his arm for Avie, who grins and excitedly links arms with him. 

“Steve!” He calls out once they’re within earshot, careful to keep his voice light, as though there is nothing between them and he is not arm-in-arm with a potential kidnap victim. Steve looks up at his voice a little to quickly. 

“Tony?” He barely says goodbye to the person he was talking to as he makes his way over to Tony and Avie.

“Avie, this is Steve Rogers, Captain America.” Tony gestures. “Steve, Avie Seville.” Avie holds her hand out for Steve to shake. “Why don’t you tell Steve what you were telling me?”

Steve listens to Avie’s story carefully. “Why do you think they’ll come for you here?”

“I don’t but it’s the first time since they attacked my home that I’ll be findable.” Avie explains looking back and forth between them. “I knew it was a risk, but I can’t hide forever, and I figured if I could get to the avengers before they got to me I’d be safe.”

“You are safe,” Steve assures her. “Me and Tony are going to make sure nothing happens to you.” 

Avie nods. 

Steve pulls out a set of coms and hands one to Tony and puts one in himself.

She stays close to Tony mostly, it fits his profile more. Careless playboy with a taste for pretty young girls is a bit nastier than Tony prefers his reputation, but the world’s opinion of his character is certainly low enough to make it believable. The attack must be planned, carefully coordinated in a way Tony doesn’t really see from AIM. They’re usually more of come look at our shiny new gun sort of attackers, less overwhelm our target with people asking for his attention until he loses sight of the target and just like that she’s gone. 

“I’ve lost sight of Avie.” Tony says into the com as soon as he notices she’s gone.

“Same.” Steve replies. “Spread out and search this floor first, I’ll take the kitchens you work out here.”

“Copy.” Tony acknowledges, moving to circle the rooms perimeter. Every stranger suddenly a suspect, every elegantly draped curtain a potential hiding spot, but turns up nothing.

“No sign of her back here.” Steve reports.

“Same.” Tony replies.

“Alright let’s expand the search parameters. You go high, take the roof, I’ll head to the street.”

Tony acknowledges the new plan and heads up to the roof. As soon as the metal doors of the emergency exit click closed behind him Tony pulls out his armor. It’s a short trip to the roof after that. Tony emereges into the cool night air to find Avie slumped over in the arms of a familiar yellow jumpsuit. It’s almost too easy.

“Cap, I’ve got them on the roof.”

“That’s what you think!” the AIM minion yells as he activates his jetpack.

“Seriously?” Tony asks himself easily overtaking them, barely ten feet over the roof. To call it a fight would be generous. Tony takes the man’s pack out, wrests Avie from him, and drop him into Cap’s waiting arms in about a minute. 

“Why are after the girl?” Steve asks holding the guy up by his collar. 

“She’s a fucking robot man, why do you think we’re after her? As soon as the Supreme Leader found out she sent us to get her.”

“Who told you about her?”

“I don’t know.” The goon shrugged.

Steve lifted his fist. “I don’t know man, Supreme Leader isn’t exactly forth coming, okay. I don’t know.”

Steve drops the goon. “Get out of here, Tell your Supreme Leader, the girl is under Avengers protection.”

The goon nods and runs off. 

“This why AIM needs to start looking outside of disaffected grad students for their minions, thsoe guys break like a twig. If they had any spine they’d still be in school.”

“You would know,” Steve says.

“Darn right.” Tony says turning to give Steve a s cheeky smile only to find Steve is already looking at him with a soft affectionate smile, and for a second it’s like the past two months haven’t happened. Like this is just another mission with his best friend Steve and when it’s done they’ll go home together and to bed together, and it will be a something and Tony won’t have ruined anything yet. 

Tony looks away.

“Anyways, I’m going to take her to the tower. I think she just needs to be rebooted, and then she should be fine. I’ll be back.”

Tony lays Avie down in one of the guest bedrooms and let’s Jarvis know. He tilts her head looking for the seem she showed him earlier, hoping it leads to some sort of panel that he can use to restart her. He’s in luck and it’s not long before she’s blinking up at him. 

“Hey, we won.”

Avie blinks at him.

“You can stay here tonight, it’s safe. Tomorrow we’ll take you back to your parents okay?”

Avie nods slightly.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tony pats her hand and heads back to the roof of the gala. He lands and strips his armor off. He should head back down quickly, he’s probably already been missed, but he’s still a little too hopped up on the adrenaline of the fight and working with Steve again. He just needs to take a moment to calm down. He lights a cigarette, his last vice. It’s nice up here, it’s a good view of the city sparkling like it took all the stars from the sky to decorate itself. 

“You know those things will kill you right?” 

Tony turns away from teh sparkling lights to see Cap still in uniform grinning at him from the doorway.

“We can take bets on which gets me first, the heart or the lungs.” Tony grins to take the sting out of the macabre joke.

“I’m betting on that brain,” Steve says coming up to tap Tony’s forehead and swipe the cigarette from his lips, taking a long drag and tilting his head back to release the smoke into the air.

“You know those things will kill you, right?” Tony mocks.

“We can take bets on which wins out the serum or the cigarettes.” Steve grins back, the cigarette held between his teeth until Tony grabs it back and takes another breathe. 

“Get your own.” He says blowing the smoke out into Steve’s face.

“Alright then.” Steve says, stepping closer, his body bracketing Tony’s as he reaches into Tony’s pocket pulling the pack out of the inner breast pocket. He doesn’t step back as he taps one out and hops it too his lips. “Got a light.”

“Sorry,” Tony replies breathelessly, “all out.”

“Oh well, I guess I’ll have to borrow yours.” Steve whispers leaning closer until their foreheads are almost touching. It feels like ages since they’ve been this close. Steve’s cigarette bumps against the one in Tony’s mouth. Their lips two measely sticks of tobacco apart. Tony inhales, the cherry of his cigarette flares red and burns the tip of Steve’s which ignites in response.

Steve finally leans back with an exhale. “Thanks.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Tony manages to say. 

They smoke in silence for a minute before Tony’s self destructive instincts win. “This was good right? Working together again?”

Steve looks over at Tony quizzically. “It’s always good working with you, Tony.”  
“So maybe, we could do it more?”

Steve looks away, “I’m not the one that decided to leave.”

“I didn’t mean for us to stop being friends.”

Steve’s cigarette dangles loosely from his finger for a moment. “Yeah well, you sure had a funny way of showing it.”

Tony swallows, he can’t really argue with that. “I--” he starts anyways when a loud explosion from behind him cuts off anything he might have said. He spins around dropping the cigarette as he does. He watches in disbelief as the tower he’s called home for the past year burns. 

Steve is already jumping into action, vaulting over the rail onto the lower roof heading towards the far edge at a run. Tony suits up as fast as possible, rocketing after him. He makes it just time to catch Steve as he throws himself off the roof and swoops up carrying them both towards the wreckage. 

The window is blown out and Tony makes a mental note to check the hospitals for anyone injured by falling debris. Through the jagged edges around the window he can see Avie, still in her party dress holding Jarvis up by neck, the soles of his shoes brush the floor as he struggles, clawing at her hand. Tony throws Cap towards her. She drops Jarvis to take the impact. Tony drops down next to Jarvis, checking for vital signs.

“Tony!” Steve calls, and Tony looks up to see Avie has managed to throw Steve off her and with a blank expression is stepping through the broken window. Time seems to still for that nano second before gravity grabs her and she’s gone. 

Tony is out the window a second later.

They fall. The floors rush past in a blur and Avie looks like some kind of angel, her dress billowing around her caught in the winds while she remains poised, motionless as she fell. Tony has his suit which could catch her easily, it’s his first impulse, except for Steve’s voice in his ear, “Let her go. We can follow her to whoever’s orchestrating this.”

Tony pulls up, hovers around the 20th floor as she hits the ground. The concrete cracks and Tony adds that his list of things to take care of later. She stumbles, the leg that hit the ground collapses, whatever purpose she was designed for it did not include high impact falls. She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t seem to register any sort of pain or even awareness that something is wrong. She just starts walking, the injured leg tittering dangerously whenever she puts pressure on it. Tony isn’t hiding but she still seems unaware of his presence as she moves down the street and walks through a nondescript green door. 

Tony lands drops down and puts the armor away, leaving him in his suit from the party, a little worse for wear.

“Hey Cap, surprising twist looks like the Hellfire clubs involved.”

“I know that name.”

“A bunch of rich A-holes who think they run the world.”

“Sound like your kind of people.” Steve jokes.

“Oh it is. I’m going in, wait on the roof for my signal, I’ll let you know if I need back-up.”

“Wait Tony-” Cap starts but Tony’s already taken it out. Hellfire club is very strict about no recording or transmitting devices in their clubs. Have to protect the secrecy after all. It’s a bunch of bullshit, self-important people playing at grand designs because the work they do of actually ruling the world is tedious bargains and politicking. It’s what makes their bullshit games dangerous. Bored rich people who do in fact rule the world treating it like a game. Tony wishes he’d had more time to figure out what kind of AI Avie was, and how she could be used. It would help in narrowing down who in the Hellfire club wanted her. 

Inside the club is dark, low light absorbed into the wooden walls. It used to be smoky. Tony remembers coming her with his father when he was just a kid and the smoke swirled above him well he tried not to squirm in the booth. These days the ventilations improved and fewer people smoke cigars so only the scent lingers, clinging to the walls. He doesn’t see Avie in the main room, but that’s expected, the main room is for lower level hellfire members, business men and women. The backroom is where the inner circle, the real power hungry ones, conduct their business. A lower level member would be unlikely use the clubhouse for their schemes. It’s just impractical. 

Tony scans the room for the cocktail waitress. The staff is always the place to start, and even if they don’t happen to know everything this time, having them on your side is an invaluable tool. There’s a 30/70 chance whomever Tony is after here had the same strategy and earned the loyalty of the staff, but in Tony’s experience someone who doesn’t respect the autonomy and humanity of an AI as sophisticated as Avie probably doesn’t think much about the autonomy and humanity of anyone they consider lesser. 

He spots her attempting to navigate around the too familiar hands of an entitled businessman, Tony doesn’t recognize. Tony slides in, dropping an arm over the waitress’ shoulders.  
“My dear, I desperately need something to drink, this whole sober routine is the worst.” Tony says drawing her away. 

“Of course sir,” The waitress smiles, her dark red lips curl up in a knowing smile. A smart one then, someone who knows how to use information. That’s good, at least as far as finding Avie. It’s going to hurt his reputation for that comment but he’ll recover. 

“By the way,” he leans in so they won’t be overheard. “Did you see a girl come in a few minutes ago.”

The waitress looks over at him accessingly. “I’m not sure, my memory is kind of fuzzy.”

Tony drops his hands and sits in one the stools by the bar, far enough away from everyone he isn’t worried about being overheard. “How fuzzy are we talking?”

The waitress shifts, her shoulders drop back and her back straightens. “I want a job,” she says tilting her head. 

“What kind of job?”

“Legal assistant, I want full benefits, a competitive salary, and a position with advancement opportunities.” 

“Done.” Tony reaches for his pen and a napkin. “Let me write down my personal phone. Call me tomorrow, we can come to an arrangement.”

The Waitress takes the napkin. “She went upstairs, I saw her heading for Shaw’s office.”

She drops back down into the falsely relaxed posture of before, gives him a seductive smiles and takes his hand, leading him back through the servers entrance. She drops his hand once the door closes. “Up those stairs is the fastest way.”

“Thanks.” Tony nods.

“I expect a hiring bonus for that last part.” She adds.

Tony grins. “I think you’ll do well at my company.”

Tony heads up the stairs putting his ear piece back in. 

“Hey Cap.”

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Steve’s voice comes over the speaker. “Where are you? Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine. It’s fine. I just needed to be Tony for a minute.” He brushes of Steve’s questions as he puts the armor back on and pulls up a blueprint of the building. “I have a location, third floor, second window. Think you can make it.”

“You can’t keep doing this to me Tony.”

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing.” Steve voice shifts to his all business mission voice. “What are we looking at?”

“The names Shaw, a mutant with energy absorption. The more you hit him the stronger he gets. So try to take him down without hitting him, I guess. I’ll shut Avie down, we can take her back to the tower and I’ll see what they did to her programming.”

“Copy.” Steve says just as Tony reaches the door. 

The thing about fighting with Steve is how easy it feels, how natural. All the artifice, all the stupid complicated feelings bullshit that Tony could never properly express and Steve wasn’t any better at, they didn’t matter. In the fight they move together, they understand each other perfectly predicting and responding with ease. A kind of communication between them that makes Tony want to know why it isn’t always like this. Why they can’t just intuit the meaning of every small gesture, like they do when they fight. 

Steve works on distracting Shaw long enough for Tony to get to Avie and shut her down with a pinpoint electromagnetic pulse. It’s just a matter of getting close enough. Once she down, she won’t be getting back up until Tony’s had a chance to look at her programming. She doesn’t fight well. It good enough to take out someone unsuspecting, and strong enough that the simple style can take out a normal human but Tony’s in his suit and he was trained by Captain America. Besides he doesn’t need to take her out, just get close enough, which is easy. He lays her down away from the fight and heads back for Steve. 

When you fight someone who get stronger the more you hit them you basically have two options, hit them once so hard they go down immediately or use non-violent sedation methods. Neither is easy. Tony, for one, does not make a habit of carrying around horse tranquilizer, at least not since college. Steve’s been playing a game of parry and dodge, avoiding hitting as much as possible but it’s impossible to say how strong Shaw is already. Still it’s two against one. Tony knows they can do this. 

He needn’t have worried. Whether Shaw actually thinks they can take him or just isn’t interested in a full on brawl in his office he puts up his hands and steps out of the fight. 

“Take her, I don’t have time to waste on you, and I got what I wanted either way.”

Steve looks at Tony. Tony doesn’t really know what to do. Take the win for what it is and get Avie home, or take their chances to stop whatever Shaw as brewing. He shrugs as much as the suit lets him leaving it up to Steve. 

“We’re watching you, Mr. Shaw.” Steve says, stepping back and gathering Avie from where Tony laid her down. He gathers her up and Tony carries both of them out the window Steve broke on his entrance. 

Tony takes them straight down to his lab, where he can plug her into his computer and get a better look at her programming. It doesn’t really help. The programming language is unique, unlike anything Tony has ever seen, he might eventually learn to read it, but it’s clear based on what he can see that trying to learn based on her programming would be like trying to learn Russian by starting with a random chapter of War and Peace. He can see where AIM or Shaw or AIM working for Shaw-definitely something they need to keep an eye on-inserted their programming, like a two year old scribbling over the pages of masterpiece. He’d delete them, but not knowing how they’re interfacing with her base program makes him hesitate. He doesn’t want to damage her more. 

Steve waits, busy himselfs putting her leg back in place.

“I can’t-” Tony starts, pausing. “I can’t read this code, I don’t think I can fix her.”

“Should we call Reed? Or Hank?”

Tony shrugs. “We can try, but I think whoever made her invented their own programming language, I’m not sure they’d have anymore luck.”

“Well, let’s call her parents, they must know who made her.” Steve offers.

“Oh, yeah. Do you remember what she said her last name was?” Tony asks, trying to bring up the memory.

“Seville,” Steve reminds him. 

“Seville, Seville, Seville,” Tony mutters trying to remember if he ever did business with an Sevilles, well also searching the internet for their name. “There was a Seville, in Boston, but he died and ah, there we go Cousin, inherited his wealth but apparently not his desire to rule the Hellfire club. Smart guy. Give me a second to get a phone number and...Hello? Mr. Seville. Paul? Yes, this is Tony Stark, yes well-yes-I-Paul please. I have your daughter, Avie, there was an incident and I’m afraid she was hacked. Yes-yes-Diane, yes. Yes, I’ll have a car sent for you right away.”

Tony disconnects from the call and asks Pepper to arrange a ride for the Seville’s right away. 

 

“So what now.”

“We wait.” Tony says with a shrug. “I can get a car to take you back to the gala. You don’t really have to be here for this.”

Steve looks tired suddenly and hunches forward, “Fine, if that’s what you want.”

Tony doesn’t know what exactly that’s supposed to mean so he arranges for a car to come pick Steve up. 

Steve pauses at the elevator, his hand on the door holding it open. “I don’t suppose I should expect you to show up later?”

“I don’t know how long this will take, I’m sorry I know the charity means a lot to you, but I need to make sure Avie is alright. My presence isn’t that important, Pepper will make sure everything goes perfectly-she’s really wonderful at that.”

Steve’s knuckles turn white as his grip on his shield tightens. “You know Tony, sometimes you really are the worst.”

“I’ll make it up to you.” Tony offers and with a wide fake smile adds, “just wait until you see the size of my donation” 

“That’s not-” Steve starts then cuts himself off with a sigh. “I don’t know why I’m even bothering. I was great to see you again Tony, enjoy your night.” He says letting go of the door. It slides closed and just like Steve is gone. 

Tony swallows and goes back trying to work on Avie. It is as useless as it was ten minutes ago. He can’t make anything out of it and all he can do is think about Steve’s face, his body language, his voice in their last conversation. He doesn’t know what Steve wants from him. He’s trying to be nice. He’s trying to help and not make things awkward and Steve is not helping, acting like-acting like he’s disappointed Tony offered to take him back to the party instead of selfishly making him sit around the lab while they twiddle their thumbs and made awkward small talk and pretended things were fine and Tony wasn’t still stupid in love. 

The elevator door slides open again and a couple who appear to be in their early fifties step out. The man is tall and thin, his clothes don’t scream of wealth but the way he wears them does. He is clearly careless with them, there are smudges of grease and ink on the lining but no old stains. The suit is either expertly and expensively cleaned or often replaced. The woman is almost frumpy, in just a sweater and loose jeans. She comes to stand next to Tony, squinting at the screen until the man pulls a pair of reading glasses out of his pocket and hands them to her with an indulgent smile.

“Paul and Diane, glad you made it.”

“Mm,” the woman says, typing something on the computer.

“Thank you, for your help. For finding our girl, she ran off when the trouble began and...we’ve been so worried.”

“I can’t promise it’s over, but if anyone gives you trouble again-AIM or Shaw-”

“I’m sorry did you say Shaw?” Paul asks.

“Yes, he was behind everything.”

“Of course.” Paul shakes his head.

“You’re not surprised?”

“My brother may have murdered his wife, I’m surprised it took this long honestly.”

Tony doesn’t actually know what to say in response to that. This why he avoids the Hellfire club politics as much as possible. He settle on “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Paul agrees. He leans over his wife’s shoulder, “How’s it going sweetie?” 

Diane shakes her head. “They really did a number on her. I’m pulling all their overwrites out but they broke so much of her work.”

“You can reprogram her right? Fix it?” Tony asks.

Diane looks over, acknowledging Tony for the first time. “Oh no, I didn’t program her, she programmed herself. I can take the stuff Shaw did to her out,” she turns towards Paul, “we’ll just have to be patient and supportive while she heals.”

Paul rubs her shoulder. “At least we have her back.”

Diane turns towards Tony, this will take me a little while longer if you want to go up and see your friend.”

“What?”

“Captain whatever, the one smoking outside.” She says already reabsorbed in the lines of code. 

“I-um-I’ll be back.” Tony heads towards the elevator.

Steve is as described, sitting on the steps outside the tower, cigarette curling smoke into the air. 

“I thought you were going back to the party.”

“I’m not really in the party mood, besides as you said I’m sure Ms. Potts has it well in hand.”

Tony sits down next him and grabs the cigarette, taking a drag before handing it back. The smoke burns pleasantly in lungs before he exhales and the cold air fills him in the next breathe.  
Going back over the conversation in the lab, Steve never did say he wanted to go back to the party. Tony had assumed. Tony maybe assumes a lot.

“What do you want to do?” 

Steve tags a drag of the cigarette and passes it back to Tony. “I just want to spend a little more time with you, that’s all I ever wanted.”

Tony passes the cigarette back after he inhales.

Steve looks down at the cigarette burnt down to just the nub now. “I miss you.”

“Me too.” Tony manages. “I want-” he starts but doesn’t know how to finish.

“What, please, just tell me.”

Tony can’t, he doesn’t know how to make the words happen, how to make them mean what he wants them to mean. He and Steve, they always communicate best with their bodies. He leans in presses his lips to Steve’s. It’s just a soft press of lips, no force, no desprestion, it’s not about wanting so much as it is a declaration. Tony is already pulling back before Steve’s hand can finish it’s journey to his face, where it rests keeping Tony from moving to far away. 

“Me too.” Steve say, leaning forward to meet Tony’s lips again.


End file.
